Spencer Shows Off His New Tricks In Bionic Commando Rearmed 2

We played through several levels of Capcom’s Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 at this year’s CES, and it only whetted our appetite for the game’s early February release.

A lot has happened to Nathan Spencer since his last DLG back in 2009. For one, he’s grown an impressive “lady killer” mustache. But, equally important is the fact that he’s stayed active in saving the world from terrorists. In Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, when an evil dictator threatens Spencer’s government and kidnaps one of its top colonels, Spencer is sent out with a team of biotic special operatives to rescue the military leader and ensure world peace.

In addition to the mustache, Spencer has learned a few new tricks. Most notably is the fact that Spencer can now jump. Hardcore traditionalists might be happy to know that you can turn off Spencer’s jump and play through the game without it, but the addition of a jump button makes traversing Rearmed 2’s environments a little easier, and makes the game more accessible for newcomers.

Players can now equip components to their character. This new type of equipment gives Spencer both active and passive abilities. For example, a grenade attachment allows Spencer to throw grenades. Specialty weapons like these work on a cool down, so if you run into trouble and spam the heavy artillery too much, you’ll have to wait awhile for it to recharge. Other passive abilities will allow Spencer to sneak up on enemies with stealth camo or slowly heal with active regeneration.

A new Bio Vision mode allows players to scan the levels to find secret items and learn extra details about the game’s environments and enemies. However, one of the most exciting new features is a move Spencer stole from Grin’s 2009 Bionic Commando reboot. Death From Above allows Spencer to launch into the air then slam into the ground with enough force to create a shockwave that will knock over and kill nearby enemies. We got to put this move to good use when we faced off against one of the game’s bosses. During the battle, we had to swing between the thrusters of a floating gunship, and destroy its engines without getting burned. After taking down the ship we climbed on top and delivered a Death From Above to knock the driver out of the pilot’s seat.

Developer FatShark is working hard to make sure that Rearmed 2 comes out on February 1 on PSN and February 2 for Xbox Live. If you loved the last Bionic Commando Rearmed then this game looks to be worth the price of admission -- $15.99 (1200 Microsoft points). Unfortunately, the game’s co-op mode will only be available to those who play offline. Check out the game’s newest batch of screens below.